Some of the Connekt 2014 Artists could only confirm their participation at the very last minute and so the interview with them had to be postponed to after the Connekt 2014 expo.
One of these artists is the talented Portuguese artist Elena Fernández who has been nominated by Connekt judging team, Maestro Ennio Calabria and Anny Baldissera of Cassiopea Gallery as the top 5 most talented Connekt artist of 2014 in terms of creativity.
The bellow interview is conducted by Marianka Solórzano.
Elena Fernández is a magical rescuer who gives forgotten objects and opportunity to be reborn into a beautiful treasure through her touch of love and her use of colors and her spice of creativity. Elena creates beauty through the reconstruction of raw materials, wood, metal, plastics and anything she finds lost and abandoned by someone.
Here is our interview with Elena:
Interview with Connekt Portuguese artist Elena Fernandez
How does it feel to be a Connekt?
SP. Fabuloso!!! Reconocerme como artista conectada con otros artistas del resto del mundo, es un sueño hecho realidad.
ENG. Fabulous !!! Being recognized as an artist on an international scale and being given the opportunity to connect with other artists from around the world is a dream come true.
Did you know that to be a Connekt artist not only takes into account the talent, but also the human qualities of the artist?
What do you think of this?
SP. Pienso que por naturaleza los artistas somos humanistas. El mundo humano nos conmueve: el dolor, el placer, la vida, la muerte. Es una relación implícita.
ENG. I think by nature artists are humanists. The human world moves us: pain, pleasure, life, death. It is an implicit relationship.
Elena, we know that you work with waste materials Jewelry and paints with them, how you managed to marry the canvas with used jewelry?
SP. Mi carrera como artista comenzó desde el momento que elaboré el primer collar para dama desde mi habitación, con materiales de collares antiguos que pertenecieron a mi hermana. En una caja pequeña juntaba materiales comprados y otros encontrados! Recuerdo que en una oportunidad una vecina dejó en el cuarto de la basura una caja de madera repleta de accesorios antiguos y la emoción fue tan grande que sentí que había encontrado un tesoro.
Con el paso del tiempo cuando me desempeñé como diseñadora de accesorios, el concepto de mi trabajo se tradujo en fusionar elementos que adquiría en los comercios y otros que provenían de lo que otros desechaban. Es una fusión que origina en mí una fuerza para crear. Me enamora encontrar piezas que desechan otros y que pueden tener otra utilidad.
Años más tarde, cuando decido experimentar con la pintura, tomo conciencia que solo la pintura como tal no era suficiente y entonces me atrevo a incorporar a mis obras diversos materiales, no sólo desechos de bisutería sino de cualquier tipo que por su textura y forma ganen poder a la hora de introducirlos a mis lienzos.
ENG. My career as an artist began from the moment I drew up the first lady necklace in my room with antique necklace beads and materials that belonged to my sister. In a small box I started gathering antique materials that I found or bought. I remember on one occasion I found in the trash bin a wooden box full of antique accessories that was thrown out by one of my neighbors. I was so excited as if I had found a treasure.
With the passage of time, when I worked as a designer of accessories, the concept of my work led to merge of elements acquired in shops and those that came from what others discarded. It is this fusion that gives me strength to create. I love finding pieces that are discarded by others which can have another utility.
Years later, when I decide to experiment with painting, I become aware that painting was not enough for me and then I dare to incorporate into my work various materials, not just scrap jewelry but of any kind of scrap which its textures and shapes can regain power when introduced and married to my canvas.
Re-using waste materials to create art is an immense contribution to the ecology, how you collaborate in your country to create environmental awareness?
SP. El tema ecológico ha estado presente en mí desde pequeña. Vengo de una familia de inmigrantes portugueses que se establecieron en Venezuela logrando alcanzar un nivel modesto. A pesar de contar con los recursos, al iniciarse la época escolar, me parecía más original y ecológico forrar mis cuadernos con etiquetas de ropa, volantes publicitarios, revistas viejas, empaques de productos desechados en casa, etc. Quizás me influenció mi hermana cuando de niña forraba sus cuadernos con las etiquetas de papel de compotas Gerber.
Recientemente participé en una exposición organizada por la Asociación de Artistas Plásticos de Venezuela que reunió a un grupo de artistas cuyo elemento principal de trabajo es el desecho o material reciclado. Fue una grata experiencia compartir con personas que tienen la misma preocupación y pasión por crear arte a partir de materiales que para otros ya no tienen utilidad. Participar con algunos de ellos en jornadas de reciclaje y talleres para crear otros elementos se convierte en una obra más que artística, social.
Desde mi experiencia, los desechos no sólo me sirven para crear arte y/o elementos para decorar, han servido para redecorar mi casa e incluso mi vestuario. Para un abogado por ejemplo, la cantidad de papeles almacenados en sus archivos pueden ser reutilizados o entregados a niños de bajos recursos que no tienen dónde pintar o hacer sus tareas escolares y así con que cada uno de nosotros podamos aportar con el reciclaje se generaría un medio ambiental más humano y consciente.
ENG. The ecological awareness has been present in me since childhood. I come from a family of Portuguese immigrants who settled in Venezuela managing to reach a modest level. Despite having the resources, to begin the school day, it seemed most original and ecological to line my notebooks with clothing tags, advertising flyers, old magazines, product packaging discarded at home, etc. Perhaps what influenced me as a child to do so was how my sister lined her notebooks with paper labels on Gerber canned fruit compote.
I recently participated in an exhibition organized by the Association of Artists of Venezuela which brought together a group of artists whose main working medium is disposed or recycling materials. It was a great experience to share and connect with people who have the same concern and passion for creating art from materials others find no longer useful. Collaborating with others through seminars and recycling workshops to create other objects makes this experience more artistic and more social.
From personal point of view, waste not only help me to create art and /or decorative accessories, it has also served to redecorate my house and even my wardrobe. For a lawyer for example, the amount of stored papers on file may be it reused or given to poor children who have nowhere to paint or do their homework. Each one of us can contribute to recycling to generate a more humane and environmentally conscious world.
How do you think Love affects your Art?
SP. El arte en sí es amor, el arte es el vehículo a través del cual se expresa la divinidad, las emociones, lo sentimientos, la espiritualidad. Tomos somos iguales, somos parte de un todo y ese todo está unido por el amor. El mismo hecho de hacer arte siento que es un acto de amor, para mi misma y para todo cuanto me rodea.
ENG. The art itself is love. Art is the vehicle through which the divine, the emotions, feelings, and spirituality is expressed. We are all equal, we are part of a whole and that everything is united by love. The very act of making a sensual art is an act of love for myself and everyone and everything around me
